Feeler mechanism for looms



May 15,1928. Y 1,670,283 H. A; DAVIS 1 FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOQMS Filed April 19, 1927 A TTORNEY Patented May l5, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. DAVIS, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO `DRAEER CORPORA- TION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION `OF FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Application led April 19, 1927. Serial No. 184,999.

This invention relates to feelerniecha` nisms for loomswhereby the o erative condition of the loom is changed rom time to time.

In that general type of feeler mechanism wherein the feeler member is displaced lon gitudinally of the shuttle on substantial exhaust-ion of filling,`vreat delicacy'of action is necessary in the eeler member to insure the side slipping movement thereof when filling is substantially exhausted, and yet with equal insurance revent sideslipping movement unt-i1 the filling has reached a predetermined degree of exhaustion. These factors depend largely upon the set of the feeler and such set or direction of the feeler member with respect to the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier or bobbin should vary in accordance with theicharacter of filling em loyed, the construction of thefeeler itsel and position ofthe filling carrier in the shuttle.

In the patent of Larkin H. Brown and George E. Repass, No. 1,593,426, July 20, 1926, there is shownfand described `a side slipping feeler mechanism possessing great delicacy of action both in effecting a change of filling on substantial exhaustion and preventing such change until such exhaustion is reacxlied. In some aspects ofthe present invention it is a further development of that shown and described in the Brown and Repass patent above mentioned, and provides means for varying the set or position of the feeler member with respect to the filling carrier or bobbin during the continued o eration of the loom, so that the action of t e feeler as its set or position is changed may be observed and a proper setimparted to the feeler to secure the desired delicacy of action.

The invention and novel features thereof will best be made clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings of one good form thereof, and as herein shown the invention` is associated with a side shpping feeler of the Brown and Repass construction. f In the drawings: i i

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a feeler mechanism containing the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section lonthe line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3-is a section on the 1inef3-3 of vided with a laterally extending arm which is adapted to engage a stop bearing on the feeler stand as the feeler is moved rearwardly to its feeling position by a spring and a second fixed stop is provided in the Brown and Repass patent against which the feeler bears to determine its set or angular relation to the filling carrier or bobbin.

In accordance with the present invention, the stop bearing and second stop are capable of relative movement on the feeler stand to change the position of the feeler member or its set when the feeler member is vin rearward feeling position, as will presently be more fully explained.

In the drawings, the feeler stand comprises a base member l and a cover member 2, which may be secured-in fixed position on the loom frame by means of a bracket 3, and the upper flange portion 4 of which has extending therethrough the securing bolt` or screw 5. Between the base and cover portions of lthe feeler stand, thefeeler member 6 is mounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom and also in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle.

The feeler member 6 has a laterally extending arm 7, the end 8 of which is adapted to engage a stop bearing. 9 when the feeler is in its rearward feeling position. A spring 10 is connected to the arm 7 at 11 and to a pin 12 at the rear of the feeler stand, the spring thus acting in a rearward direction to move the feeler into its rearward feeling position, as indicated in Fig. 1. Between the base and cover portions 2 of the feeler stand is formed a slot 13,\best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said slot being of sufficient lateral dimension to permit the side slipping movement of the feeler when it indicates substantial exhaustion of lling.

The rearend portion of the feeler member is provided with `a series of teeth 14 which are adapted to engage ay surface within the shuttle on each detecting beat, and between the feeler member 6 and the train of mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling is the transmitter 15. It has not been deemed necessary herein to illustrate and describe the train ot mechanism for efi'ecting replenislnnent o filling. since the details thereof form no part ot the present invention and are fully and clearly shown and described in the Brown and Repass patent to which reference may be had. rl`he feeler mechanism as thus far described is substantially the same as that in the Brown and Repass patent.

The shuttle 1G is ot' the usual filling rcplenishing type and has an opening 1T in the front wall thereof through which the feeler (l feels for the filling on detecting beats. and mounted in the shuttle is the filling carrier 18 which may be held in the shuttle by the usual bobbin holding jaws 19: The filling carriers or bobbins in the shuttle do not always extend in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the shuttle and consequently where the feeler member has been set to cooperate with a filling carrier in the shuttle, any variation in the position of the filling carrier in the shuttle varies the effective sensitiveness of' the fecler action. It. may at times call for replenishment of filling before replenishment is required, and at other times fail to call for replenishment of filling until the filling is entirely exhausted. Either ot these conditions is objectionable because in the case of premature replenishment. an undue amount of waste is left upon the filling earrieror bobbin, whereas, failure. to effect replenishment prior to comple'e exlmustion results in a partial or mis-pick.

To obviatc these objectionable conditions, the present invention provides `means on the stationary vt'eeler stand for changing the set or position of the feeler when it is in feelingA position. in order that it may cooperateI properly either with different kinds or characters of filling or with filling carriersl which may vary in their position in the shuttle.

As a. simple and effective means to the above ends, the feeler stand has connected therewith a. variable stop, which in cooperation with the stop bearing 9. will determine the-position of the feeler when in feeling: position. The variable stop, as indicated more clearly in Figs. Q and 3, comprises a threaded member 20, the threads ot' which engage complementary threads 21 on the teeler stand, or.` as shown in the present instance, on the top or cover plate of the feelcr stand. The lower portion 22 ot' the. threaded member Q0 is of general cone formation, as indicated more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. and against the coneiportion of the stop thc 'feeler member (i is adapted to rest when in its rearward feeling position. Movement of the variable stop to project the. conical end portion 22 thereof more or less into the feeler stand acts to correspondingly alter the position of the feeler member when in feeling position and resting against the inclined or conical end portion of the variable stop.

The threaded connection of the variable stop with the fi'eeler stand affords a convenient and simple means for effecting the variable position of the stop and which may be manipulated during the loom operation and while the feeler itself in action, to enable the attendant to observe the action of. the leeler as the variable stop is altered in its position.

Referring to Fig. 1, the fecler G is shown by full lines as in position tor cooperating with the filling on the filling 'arrier in the :shuttle when the filling carrier itself is approliriately positioned in the shuttle in longitudinal parallelism with the axisl thereof; while the dotted line position indicates a change in the set of thel fceler to cause it to act upon the filling on the filling carrier in the shuttle. in proper relation thereto, even though the longitudinal axes of' the filling carrier and shuttle are not parallel7 as is indicated by the line a. which, of course, is somewhat. exaggerated. The variable position of the fccler, as indicated by full and dotted lines, Fig. 1. is effected by simple, manil'nilation of the variable stop.r which can be eli'ected duringdoom operation and the action of the feeler. to enable the loom attendant to note when the feclcr is properly acting.

The variable stop which. for identification herein may be termed the, second slop, may be provided with a cross-cut il. Fig. il, by which the screw member Q() ot' the variable stop may be, turned conveniently by a screw driver or the like to hohl the variable stop in its various positions7 and the present invention provides a lock nut` 24e which may be .ect to lock the variable stop when it has been moved to cause proper action of the fieelcr.

lt has not been deemed necessary herein to describe in detail the action of the floating feeler member G during weaving with a working supply of filling in the shuttle. or its action when the filling is substantially exhauf-zted, as these characterirtics may be the same as those in the Brown and Repasi; patent, exceptV in so far as the variabhI or second stop may be. manipulated to change or alter the feeling position of the fecler while the :feeler remains in action during the loom operation.

The base 1 and cover 2 `constituting the feelcr stand may be appropriately secured together as by the screw 25 and also by the bolt 5, but these features are clearly and :fully disclosed in the Brown and Repass patent and need no further description.

lVhat is Aclaimed is:

1. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a Heating side llfl slipping feeler mounted on the feeler stand for movements towards and from the front of the loom and in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, an arm projecting laterally from the feeler, a stop-bearing adapted to be engaged by said arm when the feeler is in feeling position, a variable stop on the feeler stand having a stopping `surface againstwhich the feeler slides as it is moved frontwardly and rearwardly on detecting beats with a working supply of filling in the shuttle, means for changing the position of the variable stop to present different stopping surfaces to the feeler that the feeling action of the feeler may be observed and changed during the loom operation, and a spring acting rearwardly on the floating feeler to move the feeler to feeling position as determined by the two stops.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a side slipping feeler mounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom and in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, a spring normally acting to move the feeler to rearward feeling position, a variable stop on the fee-ler stand against which the feeler slides as it is moved frontwardly and rearwardly on detecting beats with a working supply of filling in the shuttle and by which the set or position of the feeler relative to the filling in the shuttle may be varied, and means for changing the position of the variable stop to effect a change in the angular relation of the fee/ler to the filling that the feeler action may be observed in different angular positions while the loom continues to run.

3. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floating side slipping feeler mounted on the feeler stand and having a laterally extending arm, a stopbearing on the feeler stand adapted to be engaged by said arm, a spring connected to the arm between the feeler and stop-bearing, a variable stop on the feeler stand against which the feeler slides as it is moved frontwardly and rearwardly on detecting beats with a working supply of filling in the shuttle, and means for changing the position of the variable stop on the feeler stand to present a stopping surface of different lateral osition relative to the stop bearing during .eeler movements that the operation of the feeler may be observed in its different feeling positions while the loom continues to run.

4. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a floatin side slipping feeler mounted on the stan and having a laterally projecting arm, a stopbearing on the feeler stand adapted to be engaged by said arm, a second sto on the feeler stand against which the fee er bears as it yis moved frontwardly and rearwardly on detecting beats with a working supply of filling in the shuttle, said second stop be` ing provided with an inclined stopping portion, and means for changing the position of the inclinded stopping portion during continuous operation of the feeler that the feeler action action may be observed in the different positions of the second stop while the loom continues to run.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a side slipping feeler mounted thereon, a spring for moving the feeler to feeling position, a stop for limliting the rearward movement of the feeler under the action of said spring, a second stop for engagement by the feeler to determine its angular relation to the shuttle and comprising a tapering stop member mounted on the feeler stand, and means for varying the position of' the tapering stop member to present different portions thereof for engagement by the feeler to change the angular relation of the feeler and shuttle during continued operation of the feeler.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a side slipping feeler mounted thereon, a spring for moving the feeler to feeling position, a stop for limiting the rearward movement of the feeler under the *action of the spring, a screw threaded into the feeler stand and having a tapering end constituting a stopping surface against which the feeler slides as it is moved frontwardly and rearwardly on detecting beats with a working supply of filling in the shuttle, adjustment of the screw effecting movement of the tapering end to present different stopping surfaces to the feeler for determining the angular relation of the feeler and filling.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY A. DAVIS. 

